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Monday, August 18, 2008

Change?

Dear regular readers and those curious enough to stop by,
I find myself at an impasse in life. Turning forty in a few months has me thoroughly freaked out. Aren't you suppose to have an idea about where life is headed by now? Shouldn't you have something to show for being alive on this world after four decades? I don't know. I do know this; I want a new day job. I could survive on comedy but I don't want to just survive anymore. Not at this point in my life. I like having health care. I need a new day job. Something flexible enough to allow me to still take off for gigs when I need too, but also something with purpose. If I could work with kids or in a organization that does some good in this world, I would be willing to work for half of what I make at my day job now. A job that has slowly devolved into number crunching and paper pushing. So I ask you dear reader or fan, got any ideas? I am not giving up on stand-up. It is too much a part of my identity to ever stop, but if I am going to stay in San Francisco and only work the gigs I want, a day job is a necessary evil. Thing is, I don't want it to feel evil anymore.
If you have any thoughts please shoot me an e-mail.
Thanks

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is just my opinion, so feel free to ignore me, but every living creature has to spend a certain amount of it's time performing the basic functions of life, i.e. gather food, excrete, procreate, etc.

Coral eat plankton, birds eat worms, and bears eat hikers. This is the cost of staying alive.

It's not a pleasant task for most creatures. Prey is reluctant to fulfill it's purpose. Predators get injured chasing prey. Hippies taste bad.

Do I have a point? Yes, I do. Considering the worst thing you need to do to pay your "life cost" is push papers and crunch numbers, in a world where 99% of the population would eat you for your job (given the chance), aren't you being a bit, well, greedy?

You live in a beautiful town, you do the thing you love, you have your health and freedom, and Hawt Asian Chicks want your name on their ass. Leave some for the rest of us, greedy-guts.

joe klocek said...

All true and very well put. However, the thought has hit me recently that I might never achieve the level I want in stand-up so it might be wise to divert some energy into looking for something I can live with. Too many people have jobs where they have to crush some part of themselves just to get into the cubicle every morning. It doesn't hurt to look around and let the world know I am looking.
Hippies do taste bad.

Elise McFarland said...

Bubba's a poo-head. Find something you can love to do with your days. And neither of you can say hippies taste bad until you've tasted me. Oh, wait, sorry Bubba...

joe klocek said...

I am running with the idea that eobubba is encouraging me to be grateful for what I do have.

Elise McFarland said...

Yes, that's true, and he's not wrong. I just think it's always a good thing to try to find your bliss, if you'll forgive a decidedly hippie turn of phrase. Why not find something fulfilling, if you can? You know what you like. I still highly recommend working in a park or museum, but I'm a little biased.

Nick Cranston said...

To quote Marcellus Wallace 'This business is filled to the brim with unrealistic motherfuckers'. It's pretty good to see a seasoned comic take stock and be realistic. Think about how many comics are out there on the road doing just as long as you, frustrated, maybe even selling out and doing cliche relationship jokes just to get onto tv. How many think that they can walk on stage, kick the air, invent a new 'finger' and repeat a line ad nausem and they can make it? Dane Cook has a lot to answer for. Fuck it man, do it! Get another job, I'm in the UK so can't advise but it will be good for you. it will cleanse the pallet, I did it myself a few months ago. Got fucked up in my last job, quit, got sober and got something else that's just better. It's a squegee to the third eye as a compatriot of yours said. But I'm realistic, life isn't a bed of roses, but you can flatten the thorns as best you can. We're not in the generation of staying working down the mine from 15-70 any more -
don't worry about the comedy, you're talking about what you know and wanna talk about. I'd rather see that than some hack and even when Obama wins, somehow I think the right wing will still be around for a beatin'. Stay strong!

joe klocek said...

Rock Hunter,
Thanks dude! It is a luxury problem to have. No doubt about that. I think I just want what anyone wants from their life; meaning. I have been thinking about my 20's and my strange 30's and I keep thinking to myself, what does it all add up too? What was the meaning in all I did? I don't know if this hold true for everyone but just being alive doesn't feel like I have done anything. Being on stage and talking about what I want to talk about is just not enough anymore. It's all about action, not words.